2008/05/18

The Meccans, fearing the consequence of this new alliance, began to think seriously of preventing Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) from escaping to Yathrib. They met in all haste. After several milder expedients had been rejected, they decided that he should be killed. They agreed that one man should be chosen out of every tribe and that each man should strike a blow at him with his sword so that responsibility of the guilt would rest equally on all tribes. The Bani Hashim, Muhammad's (صلى الله عليه و سلم) own tribe, were much inferior and therefore would not be able to revenge their kinsman's death.

A number of noble youths were selected for the bloody deed. As the night advanced, the assassins posted themselves round the Prophet's dwelling. They watched all night long, waiting to murder Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) when he should leave his house at the early dawn. By some means

the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) had been warned of the danger, and he directed 'Ali to lie down in his place and wrap himself up in his green cloak, which he did. The Prophet miraculously escaped through the window and he repaired to the house of Abu Bakr, unperceived by the conspirators who had already assembled at the Prophet's door. These, in the meantime, looking through a crevice and seeing Ali, whom they mistook for Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) himself, asleep, continued watching there until morning. When 'Ali arose, they found themselves deceived. The fury of the Quraish was now unbounded. The news that the would-be assassins had returned unsuccessful and that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) had escaped aroused their whole energy. A price of a hundred camels was set upon Muhammad's (صلى الله عليه و سلم) head.

Abu Bakr's (ra) Short-Lived Freedom to Worship- from Aisha (ra)
Narrated Aisha Bint Abu Bakr (the wife of the Prophet (ra)): "I never remembered my parents believing in any religion other than the true religion (i.e. Islam), and (I don't remember) a single day passing without our being visited by Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) in the morning and in the evening. When the Muslims were put to test (i.e. troubled by the pagans), Abu Bakr (ra) set out migrating to the land of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), and when he reached Bark-al-Ghimad, Ibn Ad-Daghina, the chief of the tribe of Qara, met him and said, '0 Abu Bakr! Where are you going?'

Abu Bakr (ra) replied: 'My people have turned me out (of my country), so I want to wander on the earth and worship my Lord.' Ibn Ad-Daghina said: '0 Abu Bakr! A man like you should not leave his home-land, nor should he be driven out, because you help the destitute, earn their living, and you keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the weak and poor, entertain guests generously, and help the calamity-stricken persons. Therefore I am your protector. Go back and worship your Lord in your town.' So Abu Bakr returned and Ibn Ad-Daghina accompanied him. In the evening Ibn Ad-Daghina visited the nobles of Quraish and said to them. 'A man like Abu Bakr should not leave his homeland, nor should he be driven out. Do you (i.e. Quraish) drive out a man who helps the destitute, earns their living, keeps good relations with his kith and kin, helps the weak and poor, entertains guests generously and helps the calamity-stricken persons?'

So the people of Quraish could not refuse Ibn Ad-Daghina's protection, and they said to Ibn Ad-Daghina: 'Let Abu Bakr worship his Lord in his house. He can pray and recite there whatever he likes, but he should not hurt us with it, and should not do it publicly, because we are afraid that he may affect our women and children."

Ibn Ad-Daghina told Abu Bakr of all that. Abu Bakr stayed in that state, worshipping his Lord in his house. He did not pray publicly, nor did he recite Qur'an outside his house. 'Then a thought occurred to Abu Bakr to build a mosque in front of his house, and there he used to pray and recite the Qur'an. The women and children of the pagans began to gather around him in great number. They used to wonder at him and look at him. Abu Bakr was a man who used to weep too much, and he could not help weeping on reciting the Qur'an. That situation scared the nobles of the pagans of Quraish, so they sent for Ibn Ad-Daghina. When he came to them, they said: 'We accepted your protection of Abu Bakr on condition that he should worship his Lord in his house, but he has violated the conditions and he has built a mosque in front of his house where he prays and recites the Qur'an publicly. We are now afraid that he may affect our women and children unfavorably.So, prevent him from that. If he likes to confine the worship of his Lord to his house, he may do so, but if he insists on doing that openly, ask him to release you from your obligation to protect him, for we dislike to break our pact with you, but we deny Abu Bakr the right to announce his act publicly.'

Ibn Ad-Daghina went to Abu- Bakr and said: '0 Abu Bakr! You know well what contract I have made on your behalf; now, you are either to abide by it, or else release me from my obligation of protecting you, because I do not want the Arabs hear that my people have dishonored a contract I have made on behalf of another man.' Abu Bakr (ra) replied: 'I release you from your pact to protect me and am pleased with the protection from Allah.'

The Alim's original concept was developed by Amir Jafri and Shahid N. Shah. The Alim's software was designed and written by Shahid N. Shah. The Alim's content were produced and developed by Amir Jafri, Rashid N. Shah, and Shahid N. Shah. The Qur'an in Arabic script was processed by Farhana N. Shah and Recitation was recorded by Zafar Jafri, Rachna Ayesha Jafri, and Amir Jafri.

Guidelines

"Good deeds are not equal to the evil ones. Repel other's evil deeds with your good deeds. You will see that he with whom you had enmity, will become your close friend.
But none will attain this quality except those who patiently endure and none will attain this quality except those who are truly fortunate."
Chapter: 41, Verses 34-35, Al-Quran